My Dorm DIY Masterlist

Hey y'all! Long time no bloggie and I really apologize. I'm fully aware that I have transformed myself into the world's flakiest "blogger" (if I can even call myself that) considering my last like 10 posts have apologized for bloggie breaks, this last one being my longest by far!

At this point, I'm annoying myself with all the sorry's and broken promises of more posts so I'm making a formal declaration that I will probably never be consistent on this blog, but I'm perfectly fine with that because I started this blog for myself simply to have fun. I don't always have ideas for posts or feel confident enough to publish a post on the internet for anyone to see and truthfully, I'm still a little embarrassed every time I make a post because I'm exposing my ideas to anyone's opinion, good or bad. That being said, I still love writing posts and getting positive feedback from my friends (even if it is a little embarrassing) so I can promise that I will blog when I feel like blogging and today is one of those days!

I moved back to Miami to start my second year here a little over a week ago and am already loving this year! As I'm technically a junior, I get to take really interesting classes that actually have something to do with what I'll hopefully be doing for the rest of my life. I'm totally geeking out about marine conservation, GIS, and public policy and administration this semester! I'm living in a dorm again which brings me to the true purpose of this post: dorm décor DIY's! My room is 90% the same as last years, but set up a little differently and filled with more cute decorations thanks to lots of pinspiration! I'm more than exited to share a few :)

Lilly State Canvas:
Everyone and their mother has a different do-it-yourself idea for recycling old Lilly Pultizer planners, so of course yours truly has another! I had been scouring pinterest and tumblr for ideas for months and on a whim one night the week before leaving I started hacking up my beloved planner from last year (don't worry, I already have a new one). To make this canvas, I printed out an outline of Florida on plain white computer paper and glued a collage of planner clippings right onto the paper, cutting out the state shape after it had dried. I glued the collage to a 10x10 canvas I had painted tiffany blue and finally added a Lilly Pulitzer quote to fill up the negative space. I think it came out pretty gosh darn cute if you ask me!

Monogrammed Bow Holder:
I actually made this for my dorm last summer and it was super simple. I purchased a small wooden plaque from the craft store and painted it accordingly. Tip: lightly trace the circular opening of a cup and use it as a guide for painting the monogram. Next I cut a fairly long piece of thick ribbon and hot glued it to the back to clip the bows to and glued another two shorter pieces of thinner ribbon to the back nearer the top for hanging. I rarely wear bows anymore and brought way more to school last year, but it's still cute!

Modgepodge Mini Picture Canvas:
I made five of these around Christmas for me and my closest girlies and I really love them! I followed the directions in this pinterest post to make them. They look like those really expensive canvas prints you can order online, but sooooo much cheaper!

Chalkboard Easel and Buckets:
I have always wanted to display scripture in my room on a chalkboard (like this and this). Since I cant exactly paint the walls of my dorm room with black chalkboard paint, I did the next best (and cheapest) thing by picking up this $3 mini chalkboard easel from Michael's. Tip: if you envy gorgeous calligraphy prints but lack any sort of skill, find a pretty scripture print like this on pinterest and practice rewriting it exactly to get a really similar look! Now as far as the buckets go, I have had the idea to paint a couple of my old target dollar spot mini pails with chalkboard spray paint for a couple months but once I saw some at target that already came as chalkboard, I literally died. Ily target! Those pails are awesome for organizing, especially in dorms. I've used them to hold makeup brushes, pens, manicure sets, anything really!

Photo Displaying:
I hung up picture prints last year in the exact same way and get so many compliments! Just hang string lights with command hooks and use clothespins to hold the prints along the lights. Corkboards are such a dorm essential too. They are so cheap and fill up wall space so nicely. If you want to make a corkboard more unique you could modgepodge Lilly planner clippings to the frame, spray paint the frame a fun color, hot glue printed ribbon onto the frame, or glue a mosaic of seashells to the frame. I'm lazy and have yet to do any of these things, but I wish I had!

School Spirit:
The banner of my name and the wooden U were actually gifts and not DIYs, but are great examples of how you can add school colors to your décor. The name banner is actually part of a larger banner made from scrapbook paper and ribbon by a close family friend as decoration for my graduation party. The U is a custom made wooden logo I also got from a close family friend. I love them both so much and love them both even more because they came from amazing people and fun times!

As far as hanging things up in a dorm, command hooks and strips are gold! If you have cinderblock walls like me, normal command strips will not stay because the wall surface is not perfectly flat. Use the Velcro picture hanging strips from command (even in place of the strips that come with hooks). They are literally the only thing that works on cinderblock, TRUST ME.

I hope you enjoyed my little projects and thanks for being a trooper through my bi-polar blogging disorder! Hopefully, I'll post again soon! Much love!

xoxo, Olivia

July Goals

Long time no talk loves. Sincerest apologizes for living a slightly uninspiring life as of late! I'd rather not bore you with the thrilling world of babysitting by day and cooking/cleaning by night. (But just in case you're wondering, I've watched Frozen approximately 10 times within the past week!) Truth be told, ideas for posts have been piling up in my noggin for weeks now but something always got in the way... mostly hours long LOST marathons or just sheer laziness. Oh well, I'm back now and I have things to say, posts to write, and photos to share!

 

First things first, last month's goals. Boy did I plan ambitiously! I won't even go through all the goals I didn't accomplish because it's a bit embarrassing. Lesson learned, be realistic Olivia. The month wasn't a total waste though and retrospectively, I accomplished quite a bit but this rain every afternoon thing is really making me throw out valuable productivity time to vegg instead. Sunshine State, please come back!

Here's praying July's goals are a bit more manageable :)

July Goals:

Simply eat healthier and exercise more often

Finish miscellaneous DIYs I've had planned for months

Read The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games

Make a rough plan for our family vacation in the beginning of August

Work on these 101s: 78, 81, 88, 89

Complete a social media free weekend

Last month, daily devotionals and starting the habit of journaling did wonders for my spiritual life! But feeling closer to Him and reading His word much more had me realize that even though I feel the Holy Spirit within me, I'm not being fruitful. By that I mean that I don't feel like I'm letting my actions be led by the Holy Spirit. This month, I want to embrace the Spirit and let God's love and kindness show through me by abandoning my judgmental, unkind, and disrespectful tendencies (a familiar problem I've shared on here before).

July scripture focus: {Galations 5:22-23}
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

I apologize again for my absence and promise this month will be different. I can't wait to share more posts soon with you guys! Hint: 4th of July shenanigans and DIY overload! Happy July lovies, even though I'm a bit late!

xoxo, Olivia

June Goals

May made me feel sleepy, is that weird? 90% of this month was spent vegging on the couch watching LOST or FNL or cleaning/reorganizing everything in sight. I am however, very thankful for the time I have got to spend with my family and friends this first month of summer as well as for the doors God opened for me in May! God is good, for sure!

May Goals:

Get a new devotional book Sarah Young's Jesus Calling and I LOVE it, highly recommend if you want short, daily devotions that are still rich in His word!

Read A Walk to Remember and The Secrets of Peaches

Practice driving (only crossed out half because I really need to do more)

Make my mama feel special on Mother's Day

Try running on the beach

78. organize my bathroom at home (initiated, but not finished!)
79. organize my closet at home (same)
80. clean out my nail polishes and find a better way to organize them

June's goals are heavy because as much as it may look like I was productive, I feel like I let my whole first month of summer slip away from me! Accomplishing a lot of my goals last month opened my eyes to my need to extend some of them into this month, so more and more goals are piling up on me. In a good way!

June Goals:
Seize my mornings instead of being lazy (exercise, chores, devotion, etc.)
Go to service every Sunday this month
Do 5 new fun things with the boys while babysitting this month (zoo, movies)
Read Twilight and Love and Peaches
Have quiet time with the Lord daily (start journaling)
Exercise 5 days a week
Limit to 3 desserts a week and 1 diet coke a day (my sweet tooth and more importantly diet coke addiction have been killing me lately)
Finishing touches on 78 and 79
81. set up a reading space in my redecorated room
88. buy the groceries for a dinner and cook it for my family
89. take my grandma on a dinner date
96. take advantage of the beach at home every day for a week

Y'all, I am ambitious! But I need to work on not being anxious, filled with fear and earthly wishes. I need not get being ambitious and productive confused with anxiousness.

June scripture focus: {Philippians 4:6}
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Here's to a beautiful and sunny month, Happy June!

xoxo, Olivia

My Freshman Dorm

Hey y'all! I am having a very lazy Monday so far and, sadly, I think the most productive today is going to get is showering and a blogpost. Oh well!

With freshman year having come to a close, I felt like now would be the perfect time to share pictures of how I decorated my dorm this past year! I was thankfully put into "overflow" freshman housing, randomly selected to live in an upperclassmen suite style dorm. The rooms aren't exactly traditionally shaped and were basically big squares. Instead of showing you the whole room (because that's really boring and all that's left is my roommate's side and our closets), this post will just show the important stuff: my desk and my bed!

I knew I wanted string lights in my room (#basic) but adding the pictures attached with clothespins made it more of a picture display than anything else. Being honest, I probably plugged the lights in only like 4 times! Command hooks = my bff!!



My desk had to function as both a place to do my school work and a vanity, so it kinda had a lot going on! School stuff on the left and makeup on the right!



I loved this banner that my sweet family friend Erin made for my graduation party so much, that I brought it to school to hang on my desk! Reppin' the U colors!!



By the end of the year, this baby sported a total of 4 mason jars... only slightly obsessed and not even sorry! 

My DIY bow display was really fun to make even though I don't dawn these big boys as much anymore! (feat. fugly recycling bin)

My bedding was my favorite part! The duvet cover was so cheap from ikea and it reminded me of seersucker so I snagged it as soon as I saw it! I'm also recently obsessed with throw pillows (especially when they involve coral and monograms)!

Side table/food storage (obvi)

I mentioned vision boards a while ago, but here are some pictures of two I made in January and kept in my dorm where I would see them daily! I first I just quotes and scripture and the second is goals and randomness. It's funny how much and how little goals can change in just 4 months!

Freshman year of college was a big change but also a lot of fun and a huge growing experience! I wasn't homesick ever but don't get me wrong, I probably would have preferred to have been home 70% of the time if you know what I mean! I think trying to make my dorm cozy and homey for myself was one of the biggest reasons I wasn't homesick. I love décor and cant wait to have my own home one day to decorate however I want, but my dorm gave me a space that I got to make cute and keep clean all on my own! This sounds really weird, but one of my favorite times of the week for me were afternoons I dubbed for cleaning. I'm a clean freak, sorry not sorry!

Overall, I was really happy with the way my dorm turned out and I loved it! I can't wait to decorate again next year :)

I hope everyone has an awesome week!!

xoxo, Olivia

(sorry for the length of this post!)

April Favorites and May Goals

I'm so happy to be home for summer so I actually have time to blog and spend time with my family and friends! I feel so much joy when I think about all the happy times that lay ahead in the next few months! I got home three days ago and it honestly feels like I've already been here for a month (I think that's a good things). April flew by and I know everyone says that about every month, but I seriously can't believe we're already a week into May! April is usually my favorite month of the year but this year was so much different because I was away from home. Studying for finals, end of the year banquets for clubs, and all that jazz really took up the whole month! I did however get to visit Vizcaya in Miami with my roommate for next year (roomie bonding!!), something I've wanted to do ever since the school year at UM started! It was SO beautiful, but also SO hot. It is definitely summer! I'm really glad I got to go :)

 

Since the favorites are going to be light in these posts from now on, here are my quick little April favorites for you!

Friday Night Lights so refreshing after House of Cards, lol

Bath&Body Works Lemon Mint Leaf candle

Cadbury crème eggs one of my favorite sweets ever!

Somewhere at Sea EP- Boy in a Boat SO GOOD

 

April's goals were not exactly entirely met, but we'll try again on some of these this month!

1. Make summer plans (babysitting the sweet boys again and some possible volunteering opportunities are in the works)

2. Go three nights without social media so I get more work done studying

3. Get a new devotional book

4. Celebrate my 19th birthday (still have family dinner left this Friday!)

5. Finish my 101 in 1001 list and post it on the blog (more on this later)

6. Try harder not to procrastinate on assignments (well... for the most part)

 

Now that I have a 101 list and have lots of time to work on projects, I'm hoping May is a beautifully productive month!

Get a new devotional book

Read A Walk to Remember and The Secrets of Peaches

Practice driving

Make my mama feel special on Mother's Day

Try running on the beach

78. organize my bathroom at home
79. organize my closet at home
80. clean out my nail polishes and find a better way to organize them

 

These passed three days, I have been working on  MAJOR spring cleaning/organizing/redecorating in my bedroom at home! Even though it feels like an even bigger mess because I have trash bags and give-away bags strewn all over the room, I know it will be worth it in the future when I have a fresh, clean space to rest (and read and blog)!

 

May's scripture focus: {James 4:8}

"Come near to God and He will come near to you."

My high school youth pastor texted me this verse recently out of the blue. Such a blessing or as a like to call it, a God sighting :)

 

Happy May loves!!

 

xoxo, Olivia

 

 

101 in 1001

Hey y'all! I apologize for my absence, but of course finals require full attention.... but it's summer now which means lots of times with family, friends, and blogging!! I've been working on this list for about two months and I planned on posting it on my birthday (over a week ago)!! Well, no time like the present and a couple days doesn't break my heart! If you haven't seen lists like this, a lot of the blogs I read have them: this one and this one are my faves. I'm not really sure where it originally came from, but the list is simply 101 things you want to accomplish in 1001 days. Some of mine a small goals or wishes, and others are big undertakings that I know may or may not actually happen! I'm so excited to start working on my list because like I've said a million times before, I LOVE GOALS! Wish me luck! Maybe you should make a list too ;)

Start date: May 6^th, 2014

End date: January 31^st, 2017

Travel and Adventure:

1. visit Washinton, DC March for Science in April 2017, blogged here and here
2. visit Hawaii

3. attend the Kentucky Derby or Carolina Cup

4. go to Disney
5. have a girls weekend getaway with my besties UM vs. FSU weekend in Tally October 2015
6. go skiing
7. go on a mission trip in this country
8. go on a mission trip out of the country
9. go on a road trip with Victoria to North Carolina for winter break 2015
10. go tubing in a spring
11. go hiking in Appalachia Linville Falls and Roan Mountain December 2015
12. visit the Lilly Pulitzer store in Key West
13. visit Palm Beach, FL
14. go on a college spring break vacay didn't really go away but it felt like vacation when my bestie visited my spring break 2016, blogged here
15. eat macarons at Laduree, Miami March 2016, the vanilla and orange blossom are delish!

16. go on a picnic

17. attend an NFL game
18. attend an MLB game Washington Nationals game in DC June 2017
19. go to a country music concert Runaway Country 2015 + soooo many more!!!
20. go camping
21. go hunting
22. catch a fish on a fly rod
23. catch a fish while flats fishing
24. go kayaking in the Indian river lagoon went bioluminescent kayaking aka night kayaking with glow in the dark plankton October 2017
25. attend a PGA golf tournament
26. attend playlist live Orlando to meet my favorite YouTubers

Style:

27. invest in a beautiful perfume that can be my signature scent
28. learn to French braid
29. get a professional blowout at a DryBar
30. take a risk with my hair (cut it short or get highlights) very subtle bayalage highlights summer 2015
31. own a Kate Spade handbag purchased summer 2015
32. wear my hair down at least four days a week for a month has definitely been the norm for me to wear my hair down almost every day since summer 2014
33. find my best beauty routine so thankful I do my research and invest in both makeup and skincare products now and feel like I truly love all my products 
34. invest in nice sunglasses was gifted my favorite Sunski polarized sunglasses for Christmas 2015
35. wear Lilly Pulitzer on Easter Sunday
36. own Tory Burch flats
37. wear a real outfit to class everyday for two weeks (no tshirts and norts!!)

Growing Up:
38. get my driver's license (should have done this 3 years ago... oops) Took a while but I did it! May 18th, 2015
39. get all A's during a semester of college spring semester sophomore year
40. hold an e-board office position for a club on campus  public relations chair for UMCRs 2014-2015 and VP 2015-2016
41. graduate early with my bachelor's degree graduated Cum Laude from Univeristy of Miami with a Bachelor of Arts in Marine Affairs in May 2016
42. volunteer for a marine science cause Marine Resources Council, Sea Turtle Preservation Society, and oyster reef building in IRL
43. raise money for colon cancer research
44. get an internship that will benefit me in my future career oyster fisheries research internship at GTMNERR summer 2015
45. volunteer for a political campaign
46. vote in a presidential election 2016!
47. start living financially smart on a budget (start using the envelope system)
48. invest in nice luggage
49. celebrate my 21st birthday
50. get my scuba diving license

Health:

51. be comfortable with my weight and feel confident in my skin
52. go diet coke free for at least a month
53. work out with a personal trainer (at least once)
54. run a 5k, like the entire time
55. learn to surf
56. exercise 4 days a week for a full month
57. follow through with a cleanse diet
58. make running on the beach a hobby

Blogging and Social Media:

59. reach 50 followers on my blog
60. Try and blog 10 new Pinterest recipes
61. inspire someone to write a 101 in 1001 list of their own
62. make my blog a private domain and hire someone to design it
63. make a blogger friend and meet them in real life
64. complete social media free weekends every weekend for a month
65. go technology free for a whole day
66. upgrade to a DSLR camera
67. buy an apple (preferably desk) computer
68. subscribe to 3 magazines I love
69. do 5 DIY projects and blog them

 Faith and Growth:

70. read the bible chronologically
71. help lead a bible study became a lifeguard (student leader) for my church's youth group summer 2014
72. write out my testimony
73. be a part of a book club joined a book club in November 2016 ... I'm the youngest one by about 20 years but I love those ladies :)
74. read one new book a month for a whole year didn't exactly read one book every month, but I read over 12 books throughout the year of 2014
75. read 5 book series: harry potter, divergent, maze runner, hunger games, and twilight
76. find a church in Miami

Home:

77. redecorate my bedroom at home (so it can also function as a guest bedroom in the future)
78. organize my bathroom at home
79. organize my closet at home
80. clean out my nail polishes and find a better way to organize them 5/21/14
81. set up a reading space in my redecorated room
82. build my personal library to (at least) 20 new books I love

Friends and Family:

83. buy flowers for 5 people I really love
84. make someone I love breakfast in bed
85. buy Christmas gifts for all of my family members with money I earned on my own
86. treat someone really deserving to a spa day
87. throw a surprise birthday party for someone
88. buy the groceries for 5 dinners and cook them for my family 2/5
89. take my grandma on a dinner date
90. do something fun for a day with just my sister and brother

Random:

91. bake macarons at home that actually taste good
92. bake a pie from scratch for a holiday dinner homemade apple pie for thanksgiving 2014
93. plant a garden
94. throw a tea party
95. host a summer bbq or seafood boil by the pool with friends
96. take advantage of the beach at home every day for a week
97. watch the sunrise and sunset on the same day
98. stargaze in the back of a pickup truck or on the beach
99. learn to play a song on the piano
100. go on a first date
101. record my completions on the blog or Instagram (with #livs101in1001)

xoxo, Olivia

The Weekenders: Toodle Bears & Turtles

Hey y'all! I feel like I haven't written a real post in forever but like I've said before, I've been mighty busy! It's okay though because only 24 more days until summer (more than just excited to be back at  home for a couple months real soon). I'm still trying to figure out summer plans though; hopefully I will have updates soon about having a summer job or even a volunteer opportunity/internship!  Now back to the real reason behind this post, basically what I've been up to for the past two weekends:

The main reason I have been so busy the last few weeks is that I had to accomplish all my class assignments, studying, and papers during the week because two weekends ago I went home and this past weekend I went to Juno Beach, FL. The weekends are normally my down time and when I get most of my school work done so these trips actually gave me a lot of stress, but the fun made up for it!

The last weekend of March I made a short trip home to celebrate a very sweet friend. Saturday I did some adventuring out in Holopaw again with my dad and family friends and then relaxed that night with my sister, her new boyfriend (!!!!!!!), and our friend Hannah. There was ice cream and Mario Kart involved so yea, happy Olivia! Ever since I played that night I have wanted to play again so bad... sorry I'm such a geek. Sunday's festivities were why I really came home. A celebration of God's miracles for our close family friend Anthony. Love this boy and his family to death and I was so happy to spend time with my little (6 foot 2 actually) 'Afroney!' Monday, Tor and Tots drove me back to Miami and that was pretty much the end of that weekend!

 

This past weekend (the first of April) I traveled to Juno Beach, FL with UM's marine science honor society, Rho Rho Rho, for Turtle Fest. My roomies and I are all a part of the club and it's truly an awesome group of people that all share a passion for marine science, aka my kinda people! Last semester we went on their fall trip to St. Augustine and I was so glad we also made it on the spring trip this semester too. Juno Beach is such a nice little beach town and everything in the town has sea turtles on it so LOVE! Sea turtles are my absolute favorite animal ever and the festival we attended was at the Loggerhead Marine Life Center which is basically a sea turtle hospital for south Florida. The festival opens up most of the facility so you can see all the turtles up close and also included art fair type booths (mostly oceany and sea turtly art) and really yummy food vendors too! It was so nice to see so many people supporting a small organization that does a lot to save my favorite animal, and nice to eat yummy bbq and see beautiful art as well. My roommates and I practically fell in love with this woman's colorful and beachy art! Definitely want to order one of her sea turtle prints in the future! Sunday we spent the day as a group at the beach and then headed back to Miami. Overall, it was a great trip and made me feel closer to a lot more people in the club (cheers for making new friends)! Here are a few pictures I shot of the adorable turtles that I really wanted to steal from their tanks and take home with me, lol :) 

 

This dude was my favorite, he wanted to say hi to everyone!

And no beach trip is complete without treasures!

 

As much as they stress me out sometimes, I absolutely love weekend trips because they are like mini vacations! I hope that everyone is having fabulous weeks so far and that you somewhat enjoyed my rambling. If not, I hope you at least liked those sea turtle pics. I mean how could you not? What have you guys been up to the past few weekends?

 

xoxo, Olivia

 

Virtual Sunshine

Sending warm rays and big bunches of cheery flowers via my computer (well pinterest really) quickly to your screen today because I am one busy, busy bee this week! I'll have a post about my two weekend getaways next Tuesday, but until then enjoy my loves :)

 Source

Source

Source

(Oops found another new blog with this one.. you need to check out the link to view more of her gorgeous travel photos!!)

Source

Source

xoxo, Olivia

March Favorites and April Goals

Hey chica! I just settled back into my tiny little dorm this afternoon after a short weekend home (I'll share some pictures later this week) and I must say, these past few days have got me pooped. Actually, these past few weeks have got me pooped! I'm welcoming this new month and all the fun I have planned with open arms, but not without the understanding that it will also be filled with lots of school work as well. Curse you term papers and finals!

Anyways, so far on this blog I have shared my "favorites" at the end of each month but I've decided to modify this routine as I begin to get a better feeling as to what I really want this blog to be and what I want to share with the people I love on here. I think monthly posts focusing mainly on the material things I loved during the month are a little shallow and I feel like each month should be commemorated with posts with a little more substance. That being said, I want to focus more on all the fabulous things I got to experience at the end of a month and share some of the goals I have for the following month! I'll still share a couple favorites, its just they won't make up the whole post.

 

This month's favorites are more of discoveries I would say! At the beginning of March I was thrown into a ton of school work and during one of my study breaks that are actually just whole afternoons I spend procrastinating on the internet, I found a new blog. Sweet blogger Victoria writes about her marriage, faith, goals, and lots of other really cute/inspiring stuff. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's my favorite! I spent pretty much a whole weekend reading through almost every old post (probably creepy, but oh well) and I truly believe her blog is a blessing to my life.

 

This month I also discovered an email service called the Skimm that sends you a brief email every morning about the top headlines from the day before with easily understandable and sometimes funny explanations. I subscribed last weekend and am so happy I did! At home, I had always watched the news but still felt out of the know most of the time, especially now that I'm at school and attend political science classes where everyone seems to know everything that's going on. I also never understood what a lot of news meant even if I had heard it, mostly news in international relations. The Skimm emails are so easy and quick to read, plus they make me feel like a participatory member of the adult world :)

 

 

March was a wonderful month, especially given I got to go home and see family twice! Like I said, I expect April to be equally as busy and fun because I'll be going to Juno beach this weekend and celebrating my birthday later this month as well. Here are my goals for April:

1. Make summer plans

2. Go three nights without social media so I get more work done studying

3. Get a new devotional book

4. Celebrate my 19th birthday

5. Finish my 101 in 1001 list and post it on the blog (more on this late)

6. Try harder not to procrastinate on assignments

 

April's scripture focus: {2 Timothy 4:17}

 

What are your goals for this month?

 

xoxo, Olivia

Pretty Polish Picks: Spring 2014

Afternoon beauties! I hope everyone is having lovely weeks so far and happy Wednesday! I know y'all are probably sick and tired of me talking about spring (if you want a good laugh, look at my past blog post titles from this month, sense a theme?), but I promise this will be the last spring specific post... I hope. I just can't help it, spring is my favorite!! 

 

 The nail polish addict within me gets giddy once polish displays in the stores change to bright and pastel hues, making spring the ultimate. Another geeky  nail  polish guru tendency of mine is to associate specific brands with seasons. For example: Spring = Essie. Well in all honesty, Essie is always my favorite polish brand but whatever.

 

Kay, now back to what I was actually trying to get at. Here are 5 of my favorite Essie polishes for (you guessed it) spring!

 

{From left to right}

Topless and Barefoot, Bachelorette Bash, Sparkle on Top, Bikini So Teeny, Fiji

 

Topless and Barefoot: I searched for a perfect nude for like a year and a half and finally found it! So fresh and simple, just like I like it.

Bachelorette Bash: My sweet mama sent me this one in a Vday care package and I love her so much for it because I had also been on a hunt for a nice dark pink over that last few months. I don't think people traditionally think of dark pink as a spring color, maybe more summer, but this one is beautiful! Perfect for a pedi.

Sparkle on Top: If you want an iridescent chunky glitter, this is the polish for you! It compliments almost every color because its basically reflective pastel rainbow glitter. Looks amazing over Topless and Barefoot by the way.

Bikini So Teeny: I think this one was part of their spring collection last year and I saw it everywhere last year. It's the perfect blue and compliments a tan gorgeously (this ones probably my fave out of the bunch)!

Fiji: The most classic pastel blue-toned milky pink you will ever find. If I don't know what color to paint my nails, I'll probably end up with this one. Simply love.

 

Thanks for listening to me ramble, love ya for it! What's your favorite spring nail polish? I'm always looking for more fun colors, as if my collection wasn't large enough already...

 

xoxo, Olivia

You Never Forget Your First...

Over the last couple of years I have fallen head over heels in love with Lilly Pulitzer. The prints make me smile, the designs are perfectly classic and fun, and Lilly's story warms my heart! Nothing screams fun Florida girl more than Lilly :)

Lilly Pulitzer recently announced their new campaign titled "You Never Forget Your First..." on the Lilly Pulitzer blog. They're celebrating the barefoot queen of pink and green by asking Lilly girls to share their firsts: first Lilly dress, first love, first celebration, etc! Submissions are even entered to win a sunny getaway! The submissions so far are just so stinkin' cute and you can see them here!

Now, for the story of my first Lilly! I had been simply obsessed with Lilly for quite some time at this point, but didn't own any Lilly clothing yet. So, when I saw this dress while shopping for graduation dresses last spring, I knew I had to make it mine! I got it for a steal at Marshalls or TJ Maxx (I can't quite remember) and I was so smitten with it. I wore it to my high school graduation party and am so happy to have celebrated such a special occasion in Lilly! It's so comfy and nautical, but it most importantly made me feel beautiful (despite my frizzy hair and shiny face in these pictures, lol)!

The Kalen dress in True Navy Hanker for an Anchor print:

 

So happy to revisit such a sweet time with even sweeter people! Feels like I graduated just yesterday :)

 

xoxo, Olivia